Orzo Chicken Salad

Orzo Chicken Salad

2/3 cup of orzo, cooked

1 cup of corn, fresh or frozen

2 cups of shredded chicken

1 cup grape tomatoes, quartered

1/4 cup fresh cilantro, chopped

1/2 cup feta cheese, crumbled

1 avocado, chopped

The juice of 1 lime

Cook pasta. Add the frozen corn to the pasta water for the last minute for the kernels to thaw out. Drain. Rinse the pasta/ corn mixture in cold water to cool off. In a large bowl mix all remaining ingredients. Stir and enjoy! I love this for lunch!

Ps I totally stole the picture from the recipe because I completely forgot to take one of my own before I inhaled every single bite.

Pesto

Pesto

Basil (more than you would think)

 1/4 cup pine nuts

2 cloves of garlic 

1/4 cup parmesan cheese

1/2 cup (or more) of extra virgin olive oil

Add the basil, pine nuts and garlic to the food processor. Once it is pulsed a few times, add the olive oil until it is smooth. It will be a little runny at this point. Next, stir in the parmesan cheese. Do not mix it in the food processor because the heat from the blade changes the taste of the cheese. Enjoy

*side note- These are not precise measurements. I don't measure anything when I make it.

** Freezes really well.

Southwest Steak Rub

Southwest Steak Rub

1 Tablespoon Old Bay seasoning

1 Tablespoon light brown sugar

1/4 teaspoon garlic powder

1/4 teaspoon onion powder

1/4 teaspoon ground cumin

Mix all ingredients together and rub on both sides of steaks before grilling.

*Side note: I was messing around on Pinterest and came across this recipe and it was named "Outback Special Seasoning". My husband and I LOVE outback and we both agree it does NOT taste anything like the seasoning on their steaks. So we re-named it :) This steak rub has a smokey taste and then a little bit of a kick at the end. My 2, almost 3 year old ate it and asked for seconds! Enjoy!

Indonesian Chicken

Barefoot Contessa's Indonesian Ginger Marinade

1/3 cup of soy sauce

1/4 cup canola oil

2 teaspoons lemon zest

1/4 cup fresh lemon juice

1/4 cup fresh ginger, grated

4 cloves of garlic, minced

2 Tablespoons dijon mustard

Mix all ingredients together. We marinate chicken over night typically and it is to die for! At least marinate for an hour or so. Grill those suckers up and you will be wanting seconds! Enjoy! 

Stir-Fry Sauce

Stir-Fry Sauce

1/3 cup soy sauce

1/4 cup chicken broth/stock

1/4 cup rice wine vinegar

1 3/4 Tablespoon sugar

1/2 Tablespoon sesame oil

1/8 teaspoon pepper

1 Tablespoon canola oil

1/2 Tablespoon garlic, minced

1/2 Tablespoon fresh ginger, grated

1 Tablespoon cornstarch

1/8 cup of water

In a bowl, combine soy sauce, chicken broth, rice wine vinegar, sugar, sesame oil and pepper. Next, dissolve cornstarch in water and set aside. Heat a saute pan on high heat, add the canola oil. Once it is screaming hot, add the garlic and ginger and only cook for about 15 seconds. Add the soy sauce mixture to the garlic and ginger oil. Bring this to a boil and then reduce to medium heat for 1 minute. add the cornstarch/ water mixture until thick. Add this to your favorite stir fry veggies and rice. Enjoy!

Chicken Cordon Bleu Casserole

*Ingredients*

Chicken Cordon Bleu Casserole

1 package of stuffing mix

1 can cream of chicken soup

1 Tablespoon Dijon mustard

1 lb boneless, skinless chicken, cut into bite size pieces

3 cups small fresh broccoli florets

12 slices deli ham, chopped

6 extra thin slices of Swiss cheese

Pre-Heat oven to 375.

Prepare stuffing as directed on package.

Mix soup and mustard in a medium bowl; stir in chicken, broccoli and ham. Spoon into a 2-qt casserole dish, sprayed with non-stick cooking spray; top with cheese and stuffing.

Bake 35-40 minutes or until heated through.

*We served it over rice and it was pretty good! Super easy, the only thing I did different was I put it in a 3 qt dish not a 2 qt.*

Pumpkin Cookies with Caramel Frosting

*Ingredients*

Pumpkin Cookies with Caramel Frosting

Cookies
1 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup white sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 cup canned pumpkin
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 tablespoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon cloves
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon ginger
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 cups all-purpose flour

Frosting
3 tablespoons butter
1/4 cup heavy cream
1 cup confectioners' sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
Pinch of salt

Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a large bowl, cream together butter and sugars. Add eggs and vanilla and mix well. Stir in pumpkin. In a medium bowl, sift together the baking soda, cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, ginger, salt and flour. Add to pumpkin mixture and mix well.  Drop by heaping tablespoons onto a lightly greased cookie sheet. Bake for 10-12 minutes.
  
To make frosting: In a medium saucepan, combine butter, cream, and brown sugar over medium heat.  Cook, stirring occasionally, until mixture just begins to boil; remove from heat and stir in vanilla. Cool then stir in confectioner's sugar.  Spread frosting over cooled cookies. 

*They are awesome! Def make the frosting because the cookies themselves are not very sweet* But together... amazing!!